updated 01:02 pm EDT, Mon September 17, 2012

Acer expected to manufacture 200,000 units

Acer may be preparing to roll out a follow-up to its Cromia Chromebook from last year. Sources tellDigiTimes that the Taiwanese manufacturer will be releasing its second-generation Chromebook in mid-October. Reportedly, the new Chromebook line is partially a response to Microsoft entering the hardware arena with its forthcoming line of Surface tablets.

The new Chromebooks will ship as Acer moves to phase out its line of netbooks. The company hopes to ship as man as 200,000 11.6-inch Chromebooks per month after launch, and units are already said to be in production.

The move toward Chromebooks may be aimed at hedging Acer's bet with regard to Microsoft's forthcoming Windows 8 platform. Acer has complained about Windows RT in the past, and Acer CEO J.T. Wang said in August that the company was "waiting for the signal of the consumers' enthusiasm" with regard to Windows 8.

Acer has also expressed concerns about Microsoft's foray into the hardware sector with its Surface tablets, initially hinting that Surface could damage manufacturer relationships, and later asking Microsoft to think twice about its hardware decision.